Night Raid: Prequel to 'A Ghost's Conviction'
by Jageroux
Summary: Set two years before the events of 'A Ghost's Conviction' follow the missions of Night Raid, a squad that fights for the Rebellion against New Fiore.
1. Chapter 1

So first off, all credits go to**_ Shedauwz _**for making '**_A Ghost's Conviction'_** and letting me do a prequel/side story for it. How long will this story be? I dunno. I am, like with all my stories, winging it. So, it'll end when it ends, or when Dauwz tells me to end it I guess.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. Because if I did, Jellal wouldn't exist, Natsu wouldn't end every single fight with a Nakama Punch, and Gajeel would get the respect he F*ckin' deserves while having a sexy harem. Also, Cobra would be smackin' bitches left and right like a freakin' boss. In addition to this, characters wouldn't be over hyped then one shotted in a single chapter. Yeah, we all know what I'm talking about. 'Executioners' my ass. More like poor bastards that never stood a chance against Fairy Tail's totally hax Nakama Power.

**_'A Ghost's Conviction' _**belongs to **_Shedauwz._ **So, with that being said, lets get to the story shall we?

* * *

_Two Years Prior To 'A Ghost's Conviction' _

Sirens blared and lit up the night as personnel rushed around the base. A single man wearing a military beret stood alone; he was glaring at the mess his base had become. People were tripping and falling over one another; others were scrambling to get their gear on; a few were competent enough to already be boarding their mechs as they were trained to do. His glare deepened and a scowl made its way across his face when his second in command came rushing to him.

"C-Commander! We're bein-" He was cut off as an explosion rocked the base and he stumbled, almost falling, before being pulled up when the Commander gripped his shirt. The older man righted him and the younger man gave his thanks before the commander dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"What did you want to tell me?" The commander asked with a tinge of annoyance in his voice and the younger man let out an audible gulp before straightening himself.

"Commander, sir, we're being attacked! Moments ago our radars picked up two unidentified mechs and we requested they identify themselves. They did so by destroying our ammunition's depot. We deployed two squadrons of mechs to engage the enemies while we wait for your orders, sir." The man reported and the commander nodded.

"Excellent work captain." The commander praised as he turned on his heel and began walking to the command center; expecting the captain to follow him and his expectations were met by the sound of the captain's hurried footsteps behind him. They made their way across a metal walkway and up a flight of stairs before proceeding through a metal door.

They arrived in the command center which was in a state of disarray. People were rushing around, tripping on cords and stumbling into one another while their voices overlapped over one another's. It was a cacophony of complete and utter chaos. The commander sighed and massed the bridge of his nose before reaching to his side and drawing his pistol. He pointed it at the ceiling and fired. The officers looked up at him while he cleared his throat and holstered his gun before clasping his hands behind his back.

"Deploy a squadron of T-20s to the western and eastern entrances. Place two snipers on the southern walls and have them covered by a **Jagānōto**_**. **_Deploy fifth squadron to the northern entrance and have third and fourth on standby. Set up soldiers in the northwest and northeast towers and make sure they're armed with RPGs. Have the engineers prepare anti-mech turrets to be set up on the northern wall." The commander ordered and the officers immediately began issuing the man's orders.

Fifth squadron, comprised of one Jagānōto and four standard issue mechs armed with machine guns, arrived at the northern entrance to a scene of complete chaos. First and Second squad, who had been stationed at the entrance earlier that day, were nothing more than a burning heap. The barracks and ammo depot were burning wildly and the flames were spreading to the rest of the base due to the fact that emergency crews could not be deployed to put the blaze out. The reason of their inability to be deployed manifested in the form of two mechs that stood in the middle of the carnage.

The mechs' designs were humanoid but they had a slim waist. Their heads were rounded and shaped like a human's except for the fact they lacked a mouth and had two lines that glowed blue for eyes. The top of the mechs' heads, including the forehead, had a cross, though it resembled an X due to its width, on top of it. The horizontal line of the cross disappeared into the earphone like objects on the side of the mechs' head. Both earphones had a long metal protrusion going out of the top of the objects at an angle pointing to the sky. The chestplates were slightly flat due to the mechs' rounded and compact chest. The armor had two creases, the one on the very bottom had a golden light shining and the one on the top was V shaped and halfway up the chestplate it leveled off into a horizontal line and it glowed red. The shoulders were covered with short, rounded guards that only came a few inches past the shoulder. Both guards had four spikes sticking out of the shoulder; two at the front and two at the back. Its arms were covered with thin but durable armor. The fingers had been sharpened to resemble claws and hidden inside each wrist was a long serrated blade that could easily kill an enemy if they didn't know it existed. Their waist was covered in durable but thin armor, so the robots could maintain flexibility but not at the cost of protection. The hips were covered in metal plating and the main part of it hung down in between its legs like a metal skirt. The thighs had oval metal plating on the sides that came up slightly above the hips and went down mid-thigh to the knees. The legs were covered in armor and the plating on the knees jutted upwards mid thigh and across the ankles were gold cuff shaped metal plating that came up a few inches above the shin. Their feet were pointed and were shaped to resemble boots except they were armored. The sides of the feet had metal attachments and on the end of the attachments were wheels. Attached to both sides of mechs' waist were rapid fire pistols and hanging onto their backs due to magnetic strips were assault rifles. The robots were colored a deep shade of grey that bordered black and had dark blue outlines all around the edges of the armor.

_'Naitosutōkā (NightStalkers)'_ The squadron leader thought with utter disgust.

Attached to the back of one of the mechs' was a sheath meant to contain a samurai sword; with the weapon itself being in the hands of the mech. The other mech held a 20mm assault rifle in its hands that had a bayonet attached to the bottom of it.

"F-1, F-4 you two flank from the right. F-2, F-3 you flank from the left. I'll rush them head on. Time to show these rebellious bastards what happens when they fuck with New Fiore, eh gentleman?" The squadron leader, who piloted the Jagānōto, asked with enthusiasm and his men roared in agreement as he rushed the two mechs. They were going to regret ever coming here.

* * *

"Say, Ikaruga, is it wrong that I find the fact that these guys really think they can beat us, wrong?" Mest asked with a slight chuckle in his voice. His mech, the one that held the assault rifle, rushed forward to intercept the squadron leader. The Naitosutōkā fired while the Jagānōto rushed forward and the bullets bounced off of its armor.

"Mest, switch." Ikaruga said as her mech rushed forward and Mest pulled back before darting to the right flank. F-1 and F-4 opened fire at the Naitosutōkā which dodged their bullets easily before firing at them. F-4 took a barrage of bullets to the chest and stumbled back while F-1 returned fire; the Naitosutōkā evaded while its thrusters flared and it burst forward before stabbing the bayonet into the mech's chest while firing. The bullets exploded through the F-1s chest and exited its back before slamming into the F-4's cockpit. Lights flashed inside Mest's cockpit and he pulled his weapon to the side, with the F-1 still pierced before using it as a shield when the F-2 and F-3 fired at him.

The Jagānōto swung its armored fist at the Naitosutōkā's head and it ducked before twisting behind the armored mech while slashing at its less protected leg. The armored mech's thrusters flared and it launched itself into the air, slightly leaving the grey mech's weapon to connect with air. The Jagānōto repositioned itself in the air as it aimed both of its arms at the Naitosutōkā and panels on the back of its appendages opened before missiles fired towards the other mech. The Naitosutōkā reversed as it reached to its side with its free hand and grabbed one of the pistols before shooting at the missiles. A few of the projectiles were destroyed but two managed to slip through the explosion towards the Naitosutōkā.

Mest dashed forward, still using the F-1 as a shield while he neared the other two mechs. They stopped firing and as soon as they did the Naitosutōkā yanked its assault rifle out of the F-1 before using its thrusters to quickly close the distance between it and the F-3. The military mech blindly grabbed a metal beam and used it to block the downward slash from the Naitosutōkā's bayonet and pushed upwards, knocking the weapons back, before jumping back. The F-2 fired at the Naitosutōkā's side and the mech's wheels went into reverse as it dodged erratically with only a few of the bullets scraping the machine. The military mech ejected the empty clip as the Naitosutōkā shot forward using its thrusters; it closed in on the reloading F-2 before being intercepted by the F-3 who swung the metal beam in its hands at the dark mech's head. The Naitosutōkā ducked before twisting behind the F-3 and wrapping a single arm around the mech's neck as the F-2 rushed towards it.

It pushed the F-3 in its arms towards the incoming F-2 and the mech's collided while the Naitosutōkā rushed forward. It grabbed the F-3's head and yanked it towards him before punching over the mech's shoulder and hitting the F-2 in the face. Still holding the F-3's appendage in its hand, it twist around so it would be in between the two mechs. It stomped on the knee of the F-2 and the mech fell on the damaged appendage in a kneeling position, before the Naitosutōkā kneed the F-3 in the lower, unprotected back, before twisting its head quickly and following it up by ripping the appendage off. It twisted around before smashing the head against the side of the F-2's head while releasing the object and the mech was knocked to the side slightly. A blade shot out of the wrist of the Naitosutōkā's hand and it was shoved down into the hole where the F-3's head previously was, directly into cockpit before pulling the bloody weapon out. Afterwards, the Naitosutōkā twisted around and shoved the blade into the back of the the F-2 and through the cockpit before removing the weapon and returning it to the hidden compartment inside the mech's wrist.

While Ikaruga was preoccupied by the missiles, the squad leader had rushed around to her side, using the missiles as a distraction, before picking up one of the 20mm rifles that lay on the ground, which belonged to a member of the destroyed first squadron. The Jagānōto aimed at the Naitosutōkā and the pilot cursed when the mech moved suddenly to put distance between the Naitosutōkā and the projectiles. The grey mech quickly reloaded and fired at one of the missiles, destroying it, before turning towards the Jagānōto and rushing towards it as a devious idea entered the pink haired pilot's mind. She dodged erratically when the squad leader began firing at her. As she neared the armored mech, it was forced to reload its weapon while the Naitosutōkā jumped in the air before its thrusters activated and the dark mech landed behind the Jagānōto in a slide.

The squad leader's eyes widened when he realized what she did. The Naitosutōkā was hiding its heat source behind the Jagānōto and he braced himself as the rocket hit his mech and he was blown back into a wall. The squad leader gasped as he felt the breeze of fresh air and he opened his eyes to see burning buildings. His armor had been nearly destroyed from the blast of the missile and as the Jagānōto stood up a dark shadow appeared in front of it and his eyes widened; the Naitosutōkā pulled its hand back as a blade shot out of its wrist before it stabbed into the weakened armor. It pulled away before the now bloody blade retracted into its wrist. It turned and sheathed its sword before Ikaruga was informed of a RPG that had locked onto her by a flashing light in her cockpit. She was able to narrowly dodge it before firing at the tower the projectile came out of.

"Alright, initial enemy forces routed and our radars are picking up enemy movement towards the north wall. Time to wake Sleeping Beauty wouldn't ya say?" Mest said with a grin as the Naitosutōkā drew its custom assault rifle, before flipping a switch on the side and aiming at one of the towers, firing a grenade. He watched with amusement as the tower exploded before collapsing in on itself while Ikaruga fired her assault rifle at the other tower, killing all enemy forces stationed there.

* * *

"Commander! Fifth squadron has been routed by the enemy mechs! Third and Fourth are being deployed as we speak. The northwest and northeast towers have been destroyed before the turrets could be set up. Sixth squadron has just made it to the southern wall and are getting into position as we speak. The T-20's have just about made it to the northern wall and by then, third and fourth squadrons will be have engaged the enemy and the tanks can attack the enemy from their flank." One of the officers reported and the man nodded. They haven't lost the battle yet and as long as they still had a chance, they would fight.

* * *

Smoke, that was the first thing he was alerted to. Crumbling buildings and scattered corpses littered the ground. He walked through the mass of bodies, no longer affected by them like he used to be. He let out a tired sigh before shoving his hands in his pockets. He made his way through the carnage before turning a corner and stopping. He saw a boy kneeling down with an over sized piece of chalk in his hand as he drew on sidewalk. He had short, spiky, black hair and even though he couldn't see the boy's eyes, he knew they were red. He walked over to the boy before crouching down next to him to see what the boy was drawing.

Even though it was chalk, the traces it left were in the form of glossy paint and when he looked at them they caused him to remember.

Playing on the street with friends before the metal 'giants' fell from the sky. Running as they pulled out guns and started killing people. People he knew and saw nearly every day. He watched as they fell to the ground, misshapen and riddled with holes. Their eyes open and their jaws slack as their lives were ended mid-scream. Their eyes glared at him, as if they cursed him for not dying along with them.

He remembered running through bushes and tripping before scrambling to get back on his feet. Home. He had to get home. If he got home, everything would be better. He stood at the door that was kicked in and he could hear his mother screaming. He walked inside and saw his mother pinned to the floor with a man on top of her who was taking his pants off. He remembered the look in her eyes when she saw him. They conveyed one word to him.

Run.

He ran. Ran as people were killed around him. He remembered stumbling before someone grabbed his hand. It was soft. He looked up and saw long brown hair. A girl. They ran nonstop. They didn't stop running until they stood on top of a hill and looked back down at the city they called their home. They sat and watched as it burned slowly. Metal giants destroying all in their wake. One image was etched into his brain. The symbol of New Fiore plastered on those metal giants. He remembered walking away with the girl at his side. Homeless and orphaned.

He looked away from the paint and at the boy. He patted the boy's head and stood up. The boy looked up at him, sad red eyes meeting his hardened red eyes. Both wanting a single thing.

Revenge.

* * *

The sound of metal tapping metal resonated through the cockpit. He opened his eyes and they were met with darkness. It engulfed him. A light smirk spread across his face before he unfolded his arms and waved them in front of him. The cockpit lit up as multiple screens appeared in front of him and blaring rock music echoed through out the cabin.

**_I will suffer, I will burn. Let hate prevail! Enslave my soul, But I'll never surrender._**

He reached behind his head and pulled a visor over his eyes and was immediately met with the smirking face of a brown haired woman.

"Cana." He said with a yawn and the woman's grin widened.

"Gajeel. I take it Sleeping Beauty has had her beauty sleep and is ready to get to work, eh?" She asked and a chuckle escaped the man's lips before he cracked his neck.

"Let's rock." He said with a grin.

Their two mechs stood on a cliff directly across from the northern entrance to the base.

Cana's mech was the same as Mest and Ikaruga's with minor differences. The eyes of hers glowed red instead of blue. Attached to the back of the forearms were metal tonfas, whose previously blunt backs had been sharpened into blades and got narrower the closer it got to the edge, that could slide down into a grippable position at the press of a button. The feet were pointed and were shaped to resemble armored high-heels and the metal attachments for the wheels were attached to the actual heel itself.

_Naitosutōkā no Kasutamu: Bakkasu (Night Stalker Custom: Bacchus)_

Gajeel's on the other hand, was an entirely different beast.

It was humanoid in design but with a waist slimmer than a normal human's. The head was rounded and shaped like a human's except for the fact it lacked a mouth and it had two lines that seemingly 'glowed' black for eyes. The head was surrounded in a helmet like object that was hard to see due to the fact that it was so thin it was as if the helmet merged with the head. The jawline of the helmet had teeth like protrusions going upwards and were meant to resemble dragon teeth, which they did, and the head gave the image of a dragon preparing to kill. It's chest plate was bulky due to the armor which was shaped like a diamond jutting outwards slightly. The shoulders were covered with vertical V shaped guards that jutted outwards several feet; along with a horizontal V shaped guard that jutted downwards before stopping mid-bicep. Its upper arms were covered in armor and the forearms' armor were shaped like gauntlets that went down and covered its hands. Both forearms had a trident shaped object attached to it as well and the blades of the object were colored gold. The waist itself was covered in durable but thin armor, so the robot could maintain flexibility but not at the cost of protection. The hips were covered in metal plating and the main part of it hung down in between its legs like a metal skirt. The thighs had V shaped metal plating on the sides that came up slightly above the hips and went down the thighs to the knees. The legs were covered in armor and the front of the armor that went across the knees jutted upwards mid thigh and across the ankles were gold metal plating that came up a few inches above the shin. The feet were pointed and resembled tennis shoes except they were armored. The sides of its legs had metal attachments and on the end of the attachments were wheels. Attached to its back was a folded metal sword and when drawn, extended to its full length which was equal to the mech's height. Strapped on its lower back horizontally, was a collapsed black pole, with a handle like protrusion sticking out of the side, that when drawn, turned into a scythe with a serrated blade which was the length of the top of the mech's head down to its waist. The robot was pitch black with the only color being the mixture of gold and blood red colors that worked in startling conjunction to outline the edges of the armor.

_Eiryū: Tsumi (The Shadow Dragon: Sin)_

The two mechs' wheels dropped to the ground and began revving, but the mechs didn't move.

"All systems are a go on my end. You?" Cana asked and Gajeel looked over his system specs. Thrusters weren't blocked. All weapons were in order. Sights were calibrated correctly.

"All good. You ready to get this party started?" He asked with a sly grin before the woman winked at him.

"Let's do this." She said before their mechs shot off of the cliff into the sky. The base was situated in the shittiest place possible. It was placed at the bottom of a canyon, with the intention of acting as a 'checkpoint' of sorts. It was impossible for anyone to go through there without having to go through the base, where any cargo would be checked. The rebellion couldn't have that. Which was why they were there.

They both ignited their thrusters and shot through the sky where they saw the tanks going to the northern entrance. The Eiryū flipped upside down so it's upper body would be facing the ground before it extended its arms towards two of the tanks. The tridents on its arms shot out towards the tank, with a microweave wire connecting the projectiles to the forearms. The tridents pierced the two tanks before jerking them upwards into the sky. The mech spun around, swinging the tanks through the air, before throwing one of its arms to the ground, and the tank flew off of the trident before crashing into another tank, causing an explosion. The other trident, that pierced the second tank, retracted back to the arm and the Eiryū grabbed it before igniting its thrusters and rushing towards the ground. It slammed the tank onto another one before flipping back as the tanks exploded.

The Bakkasu landed next to the Eiryū before they both rushed into the base.

"Stalker One, head to the southern end of the base from the east exit. Stalker Two, head to the southern end of the base from the west exit." Gajeel ordered and Ikaruga, Stalker One, and Mest, Stalker Two, both went their assigned routes. The Eiryū and Bakkasu watched as fourth and fifth squadron rushed towards them. Two Jagānōtos and six standard issue mechs.

This was going to be ridiculously easy.

The Jagānōtos, who they naturally assumed were the squad leaders, stayed back while the standard mechs rushed forward. The Bakkasu's eyes flashed red before it rushed towards them at a speed that the military mechs couldn't hope to match. It was on the first mech before it could even react and it flipped over it, landing between it and another mech. The Bakkasu dropped down low and twisted around, swinging one of its legs at the legs of mech it jumped over, sending the robot crashing to the ground on its back. The dark mech did a handstand from the ground and knocked an assault rifle upwards, which was held by the mech it had landed in front of, towards the air with the back of its heel. The Bakkasu pushed off of the ground with its arms before spinning rapidly in the air as one of its wrist blades extended and it landed on the mech it knocked to the ground, in a handstand, with the wrist blade piercing the cockpit.

It pushed off of the mech while grabbing its head and raising the enemy machine in front of it as it stood, using it as a shield when the other mechs opened fire at it. One of the bullets had gone through the military mech and grazed the Bakkasu's armor when the other mechs were forced to reload. It dashed out from behind the bullet ridden mech and rushed into the cluster of mechs. Cana chuckled inwardly when she saw they were practically grouped together. It was like they were begging to be killed.

The Bakkasu ducked under the gun that one of the mechs had swung at it like a baseball bat. It stood up quickly while grabbing the mech's arm before twisting around and stepping behind it, bending the mech's arm at an awkward angle, before thrusting its free hand forward as its wrist blade shot out into the cockpit of one of the other mechs. The Bakkasu pulled its arm out before twisting around and positioning itself behind the mech that it had grabbed earlier as one of the other machines began firing. It rushed forward, continuing to use the mech as a shield until it crashed into the robot that was firing at it. It pulled away and twisted to the side of the mech that fired at it while drawing its pistol. It held the weapon next to the side of the cockpit before firing and stabbing the wrist blade of its free hand into the side of the cockpit of the mech it used as a shield.

The Bakkasu holstered its pistol and retracted its wrist blade into its arms before ducking when a mech swung a massive pipe at the back of its head, which it narrowly dodged. The tonfa's slid down its arms into its hands while it stood up and it cut off the arm that held the metal pipe. It twisted the tonfas in its hands so the long ends would be extended outwards. It slashed one of the tonfas at the mech's head, decapitating it, before thrusting the other weapon through the mech's chest. The Bakkasu pulled the tonfa out and stared at the last mech while a grin spread across Cana's face. The pilot was probably pissing himself. She rushed forward towards it and raised its gun before the Bakkasu flipped in the air and spun around while slashing with one of its tonfas, decapitating the mech, before landing behind it and thrusting the other weapon into the mech's back and through its chest. The Bakkasu ripped it out before reversing back to Eiryū's side.

The Jagānōtos made no attempt to move. How could they? They just witnessed six of their best pilots be killed without so much as damaging the enemy. The Eiryū made no attempt to move and the Bakkasu returned to its side so it didn't take a genius to figure out who the leader was. If the Bakkasu was subordinate to the Eiryū then they could only imagine what the black mech could do. But they had a duty, one they wouldn't forsake for anything.

The Jagānōtos raised their arms and missiles fired from them before shooting towards the rebels. The Bakkasu drew both of its pistols before firing at the missiles while the Eiryū raised both of its arms and the tridents fired towards the missiles. An explosion rocked the area and the Eiryū rushed into the smoke as its eyes glowed. It saw the outline of one of the Jagānōtos and Gajeel grinned. The Eiryū reached around its back and drew its scythe. It raised its free arm before firing its trident and it pierced the armored mech's chest before the wired projectile yanked it to the Eiryū. The black mech held the scythe by the protrusion on the side and twisted it like a saw in its hand as the other mech was ripped towards it. The sound of metal tearing was the only thing heard as the scythe cut the Jagānōto in half.

The Eiryū burst out of the smoke and dashed at the armored mech that wasn't expecting it. In one swift slash the fight had ended before it began when the black mech swung its scythe at the Jagānōto's neck, decapitating it, before twisting around and slashing the scythe into the cockpit, through the back before ripping it out. The scythe collapsed before the black mech placed it behind its back. The Naitosutōkā returned and Gajeel cocked an eyebrow.

"You're back fast. Shouldn't they have placed snipers at the back?" Gajeel asked inquisitively.

"They were there, but they ran like fucking cowards." Mest spat out in disgust and Cana huffed.

"That's just pitiful." She said while the Eiryū looked up at the command center. It was a three story building and the actual command center itself had glass windows all around it, replacing walls. The black mech held an open hand out to the Bakkasu. Cana blinked before placing one of her pistols in the extended hand and the Eiryū gripped it before the mech drove over to the building.

* * *

The commander held his ground as he watched the black mech approach the command center with its glowing black eyes, making it look like a demon out of hell. A chuckle escaped the man's lip and the captain straightened himself.

"Officers, no, friends," The commander stated loudly as the Eiryū stood in front of it and aimed the gun down towards the command center, "It has been my honor to serve with you all. You are the most courageous men and women I have ever served with and I am proud to call you my own." He said as the officers saluted him, some of them crying. He turned to the captain before taking the beret off and placing it on the younger man's head causing the captain to fight back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes.

"Sir-"

"You've earned it, commander. While you may not have the official title, you've displayed courage and vigor on the battlefield I could only wish I had when I was a young captain such as yourself." The ex-commander said while saluting the recently appointed commander and the man returned the gesture. They both walked up to the front of the command center and they could see down the barrel of the gun. They were surprised when the cockpit opened, revealing a black haired man. He moved his visor so it would rest on his forehead and the last thing they saw were his red eyes before the bullets exploded from the gun, ripping the command center.

* * *

The cockpit closed and Gajeel pulled his visor back over his eyes before the Eiryū headed back towards his squad.

"Alright, our job here is done. One of you contact base and let them know we've secured the outpost and warn them there may be two stragglers." Gajeel ordered.

"Already on it, sir." Ikaruga replied as the mechs left the burning base.

They continued to drive away before stopping and turning around to face the outpost. The Eiryū's cockpit opened and Gajeel walked onto it while digging around in his pockets. He took a detonator before pressing the red button on top. The base exploded, nearly destroying everything with the initial blast, leaving everything else to burn slowly while lighting up the night's sky.

"Mission completed. Night Raid returning to base."

* * *

Alright, that was the first chapter. Hope you liked it and leave a review will ya? That would be a cool thing to do. Also, the song that played while I wrote this and that was blaring in Gajeel's cockpit? _Never Surrender by Combichrist._


	2. Chapter 2

Wooo! Here's the second chapter! Over the weekend I was able to do 2 chapters of this! Do you know what that means? Back to VR! Yes, next chapter will be sometime next week. Considering I have a plan like thing, it should be soon. No promises though because life is a bitch. A big fat bitch. With celluloid...Da fuck?

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. Because if I did, Jellal wouldn't exist, Natsu wouldn't end every single fight with a Nakama Punch, and Gajeel would get the respect he F*ckin' deserves while having a sexy harem. Also, Cobra would be smackin' bitches left and right like a freakin' boss. In addition to this, characters wouldn't be over hyped then one shotted in a single chapter. Yeah, we all know what I'm talking about. 'Executioners' my ass. More like poor bastards that never stood a chance against Fairy Tail's totally hax Nakama Power.

**_'A Ghost Conviction' _**belongs to **_Shedauwz._ **So, with that being said, lets get to the story shall we?

* * *

Four mechs drove through a canyon. The squad had been alerted to the attack on an outpost while they were returning to their own base and had been immediately ordered to go reinforce the outpost in distress. They arrived too late. The ruins of the outpost were burning and it was obvious there were no survivors. The pilot of the lead mech let out a 'tsk' as he viewed the remains of the base.

"Fucking rebels..." He trailed off angrily while staring at the destruction.

"Sergeant, I have the rebels in my sight. They're heading north into the canyon. Your orders?" One of the other pilots asked as he spied on the retreating enemy mechs with his robot's sniper rifle. The sergeant scratched his chin as he thought about it. Whoever they were, they were able to take out squadrons like child's play. He chuckled before his mech turned north, facing the direction of the retreating mechs.

"My orders? My orders are to hunt those bastards down and take them out. They may be able to take out an outpost and a few squadrons but they're not prepared for us." He said as his mech took off towards the retreating enemy mechs with his squad following close behind him.

They may be good, but Ghost Squad was better.

* * *

"Yo, Gajeel, I'm picking up enemy mechs on our ass. They're about twenty klicks away from us. What do you wanna do?" Mest asked and Gajeel hummed in response. He inspected their surroundings as he mulled over a plan. He looked around and figured he had three different options to engage the enemy. He could either, turn around and engage the enemy head on; head west and plan an ambush from the small mountains that covered the area; or head east, use a member of Night Raid as a decoy, before forcing the enemy mechs off of the cliff. He instantly ruled out option three. No way in hell was he going to use one of his subordinates as a decoy; which left him with options one and two.

"What would be dealing with? If they're just standard issue mechs then there's nothing to worry about. Are they anything special?" He asked and the other man groaned in response.

"They're not close enough for me to get an exact reading on them, but I can tell you that these guys aren't your run of the mill cannon fodder." The man informed and Cana huffed in indignation.

"How the hell do you know they're men? They _could_ be women. This is why I can't stand either one of you. It's always, 'guy' or 'guys' with you two. You don't even consider the fact that they could be women pilots!" Cana complained in annoyance.

"Well, here's how it is Cana, men can drive and women can't." Mest teased before his Naitosutōkā and the Eiryū exchanged a metallic high five while the men laughed and Cana groaned in frustration.

"What are your orders, sir?" Ikaruga inquired, preferring not get caught up in their senseless banter, and Gajeel let out a sigh.

"We head for the mountains. After we arrive, Ikaruga, I want you to find an escape route if we need one. Mest, you set up a recon scope so we can get a good idea of what we're dealing with. Cana, you're with me." He ordered.

"As always..." Ikaruga muttered under her breath and the brown haired woman laughed.

"Oh? Jealousy just isn't your color Karu." Cana said mockingly and Gajeel cleared his throat. He really couldn't be bothered with this right now.

"Anyway, depending on what we're dealing with, Stalkers One and Two will hang back while the Eiryū and the Bakkasu engage the enemy. Are we clear?" He asked, though his tone made it clear it was an order.

"Aye yaye Sarge!" Mest replied with a grin.

"Affirmative." Ikaruga answered sternly.

"Yes father we're clear. Now, if you would be so kind as to take that stick out of your ass it would be even better." Cana complained causing Mest to choke while trying to contain his laughter and for Ikaruga to growl.

"That is no way to speak to a commanding officer, Alberona." The pink haired woman said venomously and Cana laughed.

"Commanding officer? We're rebels for crying out loud. The very thought of us having ranks is fucking retarded. Also, could you be any more of a suck up? I swear I wouldn't be surprised if you threw yourself at Gajeel just so you could sleep your way up the ranks." The brown haired woman taunted, causing Ikaruga to growl while clenching a fist.

"You bi-"

"OK! Lets stop this before it goes any further. We have four unidentified mechs on our ass and I don't need the two of you fighting. Put a lid on whatever hatred you two have for each other until later. Right now I need both of you on the top of your game and not at each others' jugglers." Gajeel said and a tense silence fell between the members of Night Raid.

"Well this is just lovely. You know, after we get back to base we could let Cana and Ikaruga duke it out. I mean, just picture it; the two of them fighting, covered in oil. Grunting. Yanking each others' clothes off. Damn that would be awesome." Mest said cheerfully and Gajeel chuckled. Leave it to Mest to cut the tension with his perverted thoughts.

* * *

"Sergeant, looks like they're heading towards the mountains." Rogue, arguably the second in command of Ghost Squad, informed and Natsu grunted. They were planning an ambush. A slight chuckle escaped from the pinkette.

"Midnight, get some explosives ready." Natsu ordered and the man did so.

"What...do you have planned exactly?" The black and white haired man asked cautiously, already having an idea of what the man planned on doing.

"Me, Sting and Rogue are going to go into the mountain(mountains) after them while you stay back. I'm going to want(need) you to set up charges along the entrances. Then we're going to draw them out and when I give you the word, you're going to blow the charges and bury the bastards in rock." Natsu said with a grin and Midnight sighed. Just as he thought.

"Alright! Let's fucking do this!" Sting yelled loudly and everyone cringed at the man's ear-splitting enthusiasm. The squad took off towards the mountains and Midnight kept an eye on his radar. When they were ten klicks from the mountain the black and white haired man's eyes widened when his radar started pinging.

"I'm picking something up on my radar." Rogue said warily before Midnight could.

"Its...right in front of me?" Sting said warily as he looked around him and only saw the other members of his squad around him.

"Are they fucking with our rada-"

"Above us!" Natsu shouted as their mechs looked into the air and their eyes widened.

* * *

Gajeel grinned slightly as they looked up at him. There were four mechs, one was red and the others were black, but one in particular caught his attention.

The mech was red, colossal, about the same size as the Eiryū, and covered in armor. The head was circular, had a pointed jaw, narrow eyes that glowed gold, and the top of its head jutted forward a few inches above its eyes and slightly resembled a whale's head. Attached to the jaw were two metal 'collars' on each side of the head and on the end of both of them were two narrow metal 'antennas' that resembled the blades of swords. The chest protruded outwards slightly in the shape of a triangle of sorts and in addition to that a golden line ran across it and inside the line on both sides of the chest were narrow lines resembling the eyes of the head. It had rounded shoulder guards which jutted outwards slightly and its upper arms were unarmored while its forearms were armored and it had metal protrusions extended from its forearms that resembled metal wings. It had a narrow waist which was lined with micro weaves to give the unarmored waist added protection. Along its hips was a metallic and armored skirt designed to give its armored thighs extra protection. Its legs had standard armor and its knees were protected by slightly pointed knee guards. Its feet were narrow and slightly pointed and, in addition, on top of its feet, wrapping around its ankles, were metal bands that pointed backwards, slightly resembling blunted blades that protected the joints connecting the feet to the legs. The frames on each of its piece of armor were covered in a golden color, making it almost like eye candy to a pilot who valued the appearance of his mech.

The Eiryū raised its forearms towards them in a crossed position as he aimed at the red one, which he could easily tell was the leader, before firing his tridents at the mech. He watched it react fast and activate its thrusters to dodge the projectiles. A slight smirk graced the man's face. Maybe they were actually going to be a challenge.

One of the Eiryū's tridents retracted as it let the other stay in the ground, using it as an anchor before activating its thrusters and rushing towards the surface. It was forced to fire its other trident at the ground, while retracting the other projectile he was using an anchor, as the mechs started firing at him while he dodged. The black mech landed sliding before quickly recovering and firing one of its tridents at one of the enemy mechs. Gajeel let out a sharp tsk when the other mech nearly instantaneously drew the standard issue sword on its back before deflecting the projectile. The Eiryū switched a few of its unnecessary systems off as it poured more power into its wheels and dodged Ghost Squad's bullets. Gajeel grit his teeth as the cockpit almost instantly began heating up and sweat poured down his face.

* * *

"Hold up." Natsu ordered and the others stopped firing their weapons. The Sanshōo 2 advanced slightly as the Eiryū stopped moving and the machines seemingly glared at one another.

"Sergeant, what are you doing?" Rogue asked as he kept his weapon at the ready.

"The guy came alone so I'm going to take him myself. He's probably the leader, I mean do you see that thing? Just look at the way it dodged our bullets. I highly doubt the rebels have anything like that in mass production. I want the rest of you to keep an eye out for his squad though; they're probably setting some sort of trap up so stay on your toes." Natsu ordered before the Sanshōo rushed forward and the black mech did the same.

When they were in attacking range the Eiryū sent a punch to the red mech's head which the Sanshōo dodged by twisted(twisting) to the side and kicking towards the black mech's side. The Eiryū let the kick connect before bring its arm down around the red mech's leg and spinning around before throwing it through the air. The Sanshōo recovered quickly by flipping around and slamming its hand in the ground while its wheels accelerated to prevent it from sliding as the black mech rushed towards it.

The Sanshōo reached around its back and drew its sword; which was longer than the standard issue sword seeing as how the blade itself was the length of the mech's shoulder to its ankles. It swung in a downwards arc and the Eiryū turned around while reaching behind its back and gripping its own sword. It pulled upwards and blocked with the hilt of its weapon before twisting back while raising its arm and the sword extended to its full length. The Sanshōo and Eiryū stood in a stalemate as both of their weapons were directly in front of the other mech's cockpit.

The both reversed until their respective cockpits were safe before rushing at one another. The red mech swung horizontally and the Eiryū blocked with a downwards slash. The Sanshōo twisted around, at the same time pulling its weapon away, before thrusting at the black mech's side. The Eiryū reversed while spinning, and using the gained momentum, swung at the red mech's head. Gajeel let out a chuckle when the Sanshōo ducked before reversing as it reached around its back and drew its gun, still holding its sword with the other hand, before a spray of bullets erupted from the weapons. The Eiryū fell into a series of dodges to avoid the bullets while at the same time raising its arm and firing one of its tridents at the red mech which was forced to evade, causing it to stop its barrage of bullets.

They rushed at one another once again and erupted into a flurry of slashes, some connecting and leaving gashes along each mech's armor, before they both swung diagonally at one another, at different angles, with both hands resulting in them falling into another deadlock. They both pressed forward, with their wheels constantly accelerating to prevent either mechs from slipping and falling back. The Eiryū's head shot forward, in between the gap left by their weapons, and hit the Sanshōo's head causing the red mech to stumble back. It swung its sword at the Sanshōo's weapon and knocked it from the red mech's hand before rushing forward and slashing the Sanshōo's head.

The red mech ducked before reaching up and grabbing the wrist which held the sword; afterwards, it stood up while twisting before shoving its shoulder into the black mech's stomach, and the Eiryū staggered back, allowing the Sanshōo to disarm it. The red mech threw the sword down while rushing forward and aiming a right hook at the black mech's head. The attack was blocked by the Eiryū's forearm before the black mech kneed the Sanshōo in the stomach, knocking it back, before kicking the red mech in the side. It rushed forward before punching the Sanshōo in the face, refusing to lose its momentum, and as the attack connected the Eiryū spun, letting its forearm trail against the red mech's face, before letting the elbow of its other appendage slam into the back of Sanshōo's head.

The red mech took the blow and fell forward into a handstand before spreading its legs and spinning, hitting the Eiryū in the back of the leg and forcing the black mech to kneel on the hit appendage. The Sanshōo quickly flipping into a standing position while retracting its wheels so they would be against its leg and pointing upwards before dropping its leg in an axe kick towards the black mech's head. The Eiryū raised both of its arms in a crossed position above its head and blocked the kick while pushing one of its arms up and twisting it around the red mech's leg before pulling the Sanshōo's appendage to its side and swinging it towards the side of one of the mountains.

The Eiryū was about to rush towards the thrown red mech but was stopped when an image flickered across the pilot's visor. Gajeel silently cursed when he saw the ever stern face of the woman who appeared in his sight. The Eiryū moved away so Gajeel would be able to keep an eye on both the Sanshōo and its subordinates while the black haired man addressed the woman.

"Kagura, now is not the time." He said, annoyed that she saw fit to bother him while he was in the middle of a fight. The black haired woman remained passive, having been grown used to Gajeel's refusal to acknowledge her by her official title, before narrowing her eyes.

"Sergeant, do you honestly believe I would contact _you_ while you were in the middle of engaging an enemy if it wasn't a priority?" She asked and the man rolled his eyes before growling when the Sanshōo rushed towards him, having activated its thrusters and wheels at the same time. The Eiryū rushed forward and met it half way and both mechs erupted into a fast-paced series of blows that would make the most skilled martial artist blush.

"Listen -argh!- here. I can't deal with you and this bastard at the same time so whatever -son of a bitch...- you want will have to wait!" He shouted as the Eiryū and Sanshōo continued to battle, cursing every time the red mech got a good hit in.

"Judging by the report your team sent in, you're engaged in combat with New Fiore's 'Ghost Squad', one of their best." she said plainly, ignoring his sudden exclamations, and Gajeel smirked.

"Is that so? I can see why they're one of their best. Especially if the rest of the squad is as good as their leader." He said with a grin which widened when the Eiryū landed a successful kick on the red mech. The grin disappeared when the Sanshōo leaned back diagonally to dodge the trident shaped projectile fired at its head and he cursed when it grabbed the wire attaching the trident to Eiryū's forearm before swing the black mech around. Gajeel braced himself as the Eiryū was thrown towards the wall of a mountain before quickly firing both of its tridents at the side of the mountain and landing in a crouched position with the body of the mech facing the ground and the black mech looked upwards, which would be straight ahead from its previous position on the ground, before glaring at the red mech. Gajeel cocked an eyebrow when he saw the Sanshōo raised its gun at him but didn't fire.

"I am ordering you to retreat." She said and the black haired man's eyes widened as he grit his teeth. Retreat? Who the hell did she think he was?

"_You _are ordering _me_ to retreat? I hate to break it to you darling but you're not my superior. I answer to _Laxus_. Last I checked you weren't a blond haired guy with a lightning shaped scar on your face." He said venomously and Kagura simply stared at him, no emotion being shown. He hated that about her. Her general refusal to show any emotion made him think she was nothing more than a robot.

"I may not be your _direct _superior, but I am your superior nevertheless. Due to the fact that Laxus is on a mission himself, that puts me in direct control of your unit. Therefore, _I_ am ordering _you_ to withdraw from battle with Ghost Squad by any means necessary. You are one of our best pilots and I cannot have you being destroyed by one of New Fiore's best squads." She said sternly and Gajeel growled at her.

"Fuck you. You can take your orders and fuck yourself with them for all I care." He replied venomously and the woman narrowed her eyes.

"Do _not_ test me, Sergeant Redfox. I have given you an order and you will comply with said order. If you refuse to acknowledge my order, you will be branded a traitor and eliminated on sight. Are we clear?" She said, keeping any emotion from appearing on her face but Gajeel was sure he saw a smirk flash across her face for one second. He let out a 'tsk' when Cana, Mest and Ikaruga's faces appeared on his visor.

"Sir, Lieutenant Mikazuchi has issued an order and we must comply." Ikaruga said sternly and Gajeel huffed out a sigh in exasperation.

"So, what are we going to do. I say we kick Ghost Squad's ass and tell the rebels to fuck off. We have mechs so its not like we'd be defenseless." Cana said,causing Ikaruga's eyes to widen while Mest laughed.

"Aw man I love you guys. I'm down with whatever you want to do Sarge." The other man said, struggling to reign in his laughter, and the pink haired woman simply stared in awe of the general disregard of orders from a superior officer.

"Heh, I would finish this fight but those Ghosts are pulling back." He said as he observed the red mech and its subordinates pulling away. He smirked as he glared at the Sanshōo and he had a strange feeling that the pilot of the other mech was returning the gesture.

'One day, we're going to have a rematch _Saramandē_ (Salamander).' He promised, nicknaming the mech due to its color, mentally and he knew the other pilot was making the same promise.

"Well then, Sergeant Redfox, it appears that you will not be cast out of the rebellion and be branded a traitor. Yet. Thank whatever deity you pray to because I would have made it my personal mission to hunt you down and kill you." She threatened and Gajeel grinned.

"You can come at me whenever you want to." He replied coolly before the woman's face disappeared, leaving him with the amused face of Cana and Mest along with the unamused face of Ikaruga in his visor.

"Alright people, lets head back to base then." He said before retracting the tridents from the mountain and igniting the Eiryū's thrusters and flying up the side of the mountain, with its back to the gravely surface, before flipping backwards while canceling its thrusters. When it landed it reversed before turning around and instantly accelerated while being met by the sight of his squad's mechs that were waiting on top of the mountain for his signal. They instantly fell in line behind him as they all headed back to their base.

* * *

_After the Eiryū was thrown towards the mountain and anchored itself with its tridents._

The Sanshōo raised its gun as Rogue's face flashed across his visor, along with the rest of his squads', and Natsu cocked an eyebrow.

"Sergeant, we're being ordered to withdraw and return to headquarters." The black haired man informed and the pinkette stared at him curiously.

"Why?" Was Natsu's simple question, not seeing the point in withdrawing.

"From the information I've received, you're engaged in combat with the leader of what we believe to be the rebels' covert operation's squad, Night Raid." Rogue informed and Sting hummed.

"I'm pretty sure I heard of them. Wasn't word going around that they took out ten squadrons and a base all by themselves?" The blond haired man asked, not quite sure if he remembered it correctly.

"_Thirteen_ squadrons all by themselves." Midnight corrected and Natsu let out a sharp 'tch' in a annoyance.

"Alright, fine, these guys aren't your run of the mill losers. I don't see why that means I- I mean _we_ can't fight hi- I mean_ them_." Natsu said as a nervous sweatdrop rolled down his cheek. Midnight and Rogue groaned while Sting laughed his ass off.

"Holy shit Sarge, you just want to fight that black mech!" The blonde haired man announced noisily and everyone, once again, cringed at his loud voice.

"For fuck's sake Sting. Stop fucking yelling." Rogue commanded and the blonde haired man rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Rogue coughed before returning his attention to Natsu who desperate wanted to finish his fight with the Eiryū.

"Are you absolutely positive they said we have to withdraw?" Natsu asked, hoping Rogue was wrong but his hopes were squashed when Rogue nodded an affirmative. He cursed before the Sanshōo reversed, not wanting to take his eyes off of the black mech as he glared at it. He chuckled slightly as he could imagine the pilot of the other machine doing the same.

'One day, we're going to have a rematch _Kurogane_ (Black Steel).' He promised, nicknaming the mech due to its color, mentally and he knew the other pilot was making the same promise.

The Sanshōo turned away before activating its thrusters and rocketing away followed by the rest of Ghost Squad.

* * *

What's this? A rivalry between Natsu and Gajeel? Oh yes indeed. Simply marvelous. Also, hot damn Kagura is a bitch. And, Ikaruga seems upset about Night Raid's lack of respect for their superiors. I hope she doesn't do anything rash ya know?

*Grins mischievously*

Anyway, new character next chapter. I wonder who?


End file.
